


Softly Stained with Spring

by lululawlawlu



Series: 10 Days of LawLu works [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: 10 Days of LawLu, Canon Compliant, Fluff and Angst, Hanahaki Disease, M/M, Slow Burn, not your usual hanahaki for that added angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2020-04-11 16:11:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19113175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawlawlu/pseuds/lululawlawlu
Summary: Law—being with him is the best feeling imaginable. It‘s the perfect kind of happiness mixed with a little excitement. Just having adventures with Law makes those adventures all the more exciting.





	1. Plans Made and Ruined

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a collaboration for [lawlu-week](https://lawlu-week.tumblr.com/) with [yumenofude](https://yumenofude.tumblr.com/) who created [this amazing artwork that perfectly portrays the story,](https://yumenofude.tumblr.com/post/185403648970/yumenofude-10-days-of-lawlu-2k19-day-1-plans) and who also helped me with thinking of the initial storyline.

“I’m all in!” Luffy declares, pushing his poker chips into the middle of the table. His eyes dart nervously over the other two members of his crew still in the game, lips pursed, eyebrows raised. 

He’s never been a good liar but he’s trying so hard to win. If all goes well he’ll be able to make enough money to pay his debt to Nami, in return for which she’s agreed to coordinate a meeting with Law’s navigator to bring him there sooner than planned. 

Luffy’s heart does a happy little flip inside his ribs at the thought. His stomach feels all… bubbly, like it’s full of really fizzy, shaken up cola. It’s a weird feeling, but he kind of likes it. 

He shuffles his cards around in his hands. He doesn’t really know if they’re good or not, but they’ve got hearts on them, so he’s got a good feeling about it. Law has hearts on him and he gets good feelings just thinking about Law. 

 

Law—being with him is the best feeling imaginable. It‘s the perfect kind of happiness mixed with a little excitement. Law is fun to be with. It’s thrilling to fight alongside him. And he makes silly plans even though they don't really work, because how can anyone predict the future and plan the exact best way to handle it? But in any case, just having adventures with Law makes those adventures all the more... exciting? Luffy would use the word ‘fun’ for their adventures too except Dressrosa wasn't actually all that fun. Law had been hurting really badly. It made him angry to think of it even now. Law didn’t deserve that. Law-

“What’s with that array of faces, Luffy?” Sanji asks from across the table. “Smiling one second then scowling the next. You purposely trying to make yourself hard to read?” 

“La- what?” Luffy’s only half heard the question. 

Usopp regards him with a raised eyebrow, sly smile on his lips and now suddenly Luffy’s much too aware that he’s been caught thinking of Law. He can feel his cheeks heating up, though he doesn’t really get why thinking about other people catching him thinking about Law makes him get all hot. It’s not really a bad feeling, just weird how he only feels like this when it’s about Law. 

Sanji nudges Usopp, “You gonna call?”

“I’ll go easy on you guys this time. It’s not easy playing against a real card shark like me,” Usopp says confidently, laying his cards on the table, “I fold.” 

Sanji leans back in his chair, taking a long drag on his cigarette as he inspects his cards. He squints at Luffy briefly before tossing his cards on the table. “Same here. I fold,” he concedes. 

Luffy’s about to declare his victory when Nami herself interjects. 

“Hey, Luffy, Bepo says Torao wants to talk to you,” she calls across the deck as she leans out the door of her navigator’s office, her hand over the receiver of the den-den mushi she keeps. 

Luffy immediately sheds all of his playing cards on the table to cries of ‘What?! He didn’t have anything after all!’ and ‘Goddamnit Luffy! Why can’t you just be consistently shit at lying?!’ 

He dashes over to the door, hands grabbing for the receiver but Nami holds it away from him as she retreats into her office asking, “Did you win me lots of money?” 

“Yeah, is Torao coming over?” Luffy follows her in, stretching to snatch the receiver from her without waiting for an answer. 

His heart flutters light and happy at the thought of seeing the other captain again. It makes him euphoric, but maybe a little nervous. He doesn’t really get these feelings either, but he’s pretty addicted to the way it feels when he thinks about Law—he just can’t get enough. And as much as he likes thinking about Law, that’s nothing compared to actually talking to Law, or better yet, seeing him in person which is what he’s sure is about to happen in the near future.

“Torao!” he cries into the receiver, his excitement brimming over. 

“Mugiwara-ya, I thought we agreed to meet in two weeks’ time,” Law speaks through the den den mushi, just a hint of annoyance on his voice, “Can’t you for once stick to a plan?” The snail mirrors Law’s apparent expression, frowning at him. Is Law disappointed? Is he mad?

No. 

No, this isn’t right. 

Luffy can feel his heart pounding anxious against his ribs, it’s happy fluttering turning to panicked skipping. Worries that he wasn’t even aware that he’d had now begin flooding into his mind. He doesn’t want to think that he’s done something wrong. He was just trying to organize a get-together. Does it mean Law is mad at him—that he won’t come? He thought Law liked seeing him too. Law should like seeing him too. But Law doesn’t seem happy. He doesn’t seem like he likes seeing him too. Law’s not just tolerating him because they’re allies, right? 

“So what’s your reason for calling a meeting this time?” Law speaks through a sigh.

“I don’t wanna wait two weeks. I wanna-” Luffy starts. A sudden, sharp pain shoots through his chest, cutting off his words. He nearly drops the receiver, instinctively clutching his chest. He pauses a moment, hand over the scar that marks him. What a strange feeling—like something attacking him from the inside. 

He leans over Nami’s desk trying to steady his breathing, willing his pain away as much as he can. His whole chest suddenly feels so tight. The heart beneath his shaking palm is thumping so hard he half-thinks it might fall out if he moves his hand. 

“You’re breathing into the phone pretty heavily. Is everything alright?” Law asks, voice calm, serious.

“Yeah, I’m- ah!” almost as soon as he opens his mouth, the sharp pain is back, piercing him like a knife. He tries to take a deep breath and it stabs through his chest again. Luffy doubles over, leaning onto Nami’s desk, knocking over her mapping utensils, crumpling the map under his arm, but he’s hesitant to move any more.

“Speak to me,” Law tells him.

“It- hurts,” Luffy manages to grit out, panting shallow through his teeth.

“Get yourself to Tony-ya. I’ll be there in two days,” and with those terse words the line goes dead. 

The next few minutes pass in a haze. Luffy doesn’t know if he hung up the den den mushi and he doesn’t know if he knocked more of Nami’s stuff on the floor on his way out, but he somehow makes it down the hall to Chopper’s medical office. Luffy leans against the door, pushing it open with the weight of his body as he stumbles in. 

"Luffy, what's wrong!?" Chopper cries, immediately abandoning his book to run to his captain's aid. He helps him to sit down on the infirmary bed. 

"I didn't do anything, it just hurts here," Luffy insists through gritted teeth. He's apprehensive about moving his hand from over his heart in case it might cause the stabbing pain again. He’s never felt anything like it. He can’t even guess what’s going on with his body. 

Chopper reaches for his stethoscope at his desk. He places the ear pieces into his ears and rejoins Luffy on the bed. He takes Luffy's hand from his chest, holding onto it as he places the stethoscope’s cool metal against his chest to listen to his heart. Chopper listens intently for what feels like much too long without saying anything. Then he instructs Luffy to lay down and uses a stethoscope to listen around in what seems like random places on his chest. Whatever Chopper’s doing it seems like it’s working because Luffy’s starting to feel a lot calmer. The pain is only kind of a little bit of a tightness inside of him now—like his heart is getting a hug from his lungs or something. 

Whatever is happening to him is not fun, and Luffy doesn’t want to repeat the experience. Unfortunately for him, his body doesn’t seem to agree. 

… … … … … 

“So, what are we dealing with?” Law asks the small, antlered doctor as they pace down the hall toward the Thousand Sunny’s infirmary.

Chopper flips through several papers secured onto his clipboard before answering. “Well, the patient has been suffering from bouts of chest pain. I haven’t yet been able to find the cause. During the episodes he says there’s pain when he takes deep breaths, but there are no other symptoms that would suggest anything like pulmonary embolus or pleurisy.” The tiny reindeer doctor is taking his job very seriously. He seems to be doing his best at dealing with his captain objectively. He refers to him as ‘the patient’ although he speaks the words with a heavy-hearted wavering in his voice. It makes him sound as if he could break down at any confirmation that it’s Luffy they’re talking about. 

“And this all started two days ago?” Law follows as Chopper slides open the door of the infirmary. 

“My heart hurts,Torao,” Luffy whines from the infirmary bed when he sees him. “I don’t like it.”

“Thanks for your efforts doctor. If you don’t mind, I’d like to examine him myself,” Law addresses Chopper.

He’s heard that Chopper’s been looking after Luffy almost constantly over the past two days, and Luffy is always a pretty tough patient to handle. Law wouldn’t blame him if he felt relief at leaving his patient in his hands. 

It’s not that Law doesn’t trust Chopper as a medical professional or that he takes a personal interest in this particular patient. It’s rather the case that he prefers to assess the patient to gain his own insight into the situation. It never hurts to have a second opinion.

Law takes his own stethoscope from around his shoulders to give his patient a standard preliminary check-up. Law tries not to feel too self conscious from the way Luffy stares up at him, those big, obsidian-dark eyes following his every movement. Law tries not to read too much into the situation—tries not to imagine that it’s his touch which triggers the soft blush on Luffy’s cheeks. 

Law has to chase away inappropriate thoughts from his mind. He needs to remain professional, and focus on his work here. In the end he notes no irregularities, and even though Luffy’s heart seems to be racing bit, all of his vitals are well within normal range.

“What were you doing when you first felt chest pain?” he asks Luffy as he takes the clipboard from Chopper’s desk, flipping through the notes. 

“Talking to you.”

“And the next time it happened?” 

“Checking with Nami that you were still coming.”

“And this morning?”

“Eating pre-breakfast.”

“Pre-breakfast?” This is something Law has never heard of, and he’s stayed with the Strawhats for long enough to know that it’s not something their cook would indulge in.

“Well, since you were coming I went to the kitchen to eat all the food you don’t like.” Luffy explains, “‘cause you’re really picky, and-”

“I am not picky. I just don’t like bread-” Law interjects

“and pickled plums,” Luffy supplies.

“You remember that?” Law wouldn’t have expected him to remember any detail about him let alone that in particular. Luffy just doesn’t seem like the type to notice things. 

“Yeah, ‘cause that one time you got one in your onigiri at lunch and you were surprised and spit it out. And I caught it in my mouth!” Luffy reminds him proudly. 

‘That was disgusting,’ Law thinks.

“That was tasty,” Luffy says with a wide smile. He seems to be feeling better for now.

“Well,” Law hums, flipping over the pages and setting Chopper’s clipboard aside. “Nobody can find anything physically wrong with you. So I’m going to go ahead and assume it’s stress-related anxiety. I suggest you let me keep you under observation while you take a rest.”

That earns him an exasperated huff from the small, adventure-loving captain. 

“There’s an island called Rosales nearby. It’s a popular tourist spot,” Law continues. “It’s renown for its flowers, but I hear there’s some unique local cuisine that you can’t find elsewhere in the world.” He hesitates to go any further but by the look on his face, Luffy doesn’t seem entirely sold on an ambiguous promise of unique foods. “If you agree to a relaxing vacation, I’ll call ahead and reserve us a table at a restaurant with a buffet,” Law tries. 

This earns him an emphatic “Yes!” from an excited Luffy who jumps up and runs out of the room, shouting to his crew about a new adventure. 

Law does not have ulterior motives—absolutely not. He is not at all trying to smooth-talk his way into a date with his ally. That’s right, he simply is looking out for the well being of his alliance and nothing more.


	2. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Be careful,” the old stone lady seems to caution, “a dream come true may actually be a nightmare.”

Rosales, Law had told him, is a perpetual spring island with perfect weather year round and flowers constantly in bloom. Although, much like Law himself, seeing the island in person is infinitely better than thoughts or hearsay can really convey. 

From the Sunny, Luffy can already spy a bunch of flowering trees along the shoreline, smattering the area with a virtual rainbow of colours—colours Luffy didn't even know trees could come in. A sweet scent dances on the breeze, something flowery and light. Pale pink petals of the fragile cherry blossoms rain down on them as they near the docks, sprinkling the ship. If the scenery is alone this beautiful, Luffy can’t wait to see what kind of elaborate restaurant Law is going to take him to—hopefully something with a hundred different kinds of meat. 

There's a small building off to the side of the docks, adorned with a colourful sign that reads 'welcome center'. It looks more like a gardener's cottage than an actual welcome center. It’s got window boxes overflowing with bright yellow and orange flowers. The walls look nearly covered in carefully manicured ivies and morning glories with their purple buds huddled in on themselves as they wait for the warmth of the morning sun. 

‘Robin will love this,’ he thinks off-handedly, hopes Usopp will find some kind of fun new plant to show him later. 

Luffy knows they've been spotted when four people file out of the building, walking down the dock, waving to them. Although there’s an adrenaline-rush that comes with landing on islands unknown or marine-occupied, Luffy has to admit it is nice in a different way for them to be received with such a warm welcome. Hopefully they’re the kind of people to be generous with their food. And hopefully they won't interrupt his meal trying to capture him for a bounty or anything—there’s a certain charm in that. 

“We’re going on ahead!” Luffy calls to his crew stretching out to snatch up Law from the deck, jumping out onto the dock before the rest.

“Welcome to Rosales, where dreams come true,” the locals echo each other as they offer them crowns woven with an array of different coloured flowers, and thrust pamphlets into their hands. All of them are chattering on at once about the attractions that their little island offers to visitors.

Luffy isn't interested in any spas or gardens though. He came here for food and Law has assured him that he called ahead on the den den mushi to reserve a place just for the two of them at a buffet restaurant that will not disappoint. He’s still holding out hope for a ton of meat-- _that_ would be the dream come true.

And he’s going to go eat somewhere with Law! He has Law all to himself all day. Law—just being with him is like being in a dream itself. Law makes every experience better by being there—even mealtimes—especially mealtimes because he always feeds him food he doesn’t like. Luffy’s heart feels high and happy just thinking about it and he can’t wait to get to their promised destination. 

“There’s gonna be meat, right?” Luffy asks, looping his arm in Law’s, pulling him along at his own pace. 

“You have nothing to worry about,” Law tells him, “so long as you stick to the plan.” 

That doesn’t answer his question. And as much as Luffy likes being free to do as he pleases, the way Law said that, it feels like he’s being sneaky or something. 

“So,” Luffy struts our in front of Law, turns to walk backward so he can look at Law face to face. “There’s gonna be meat if we go where you planned,” he surmises, looking at him for confirmation. 

He thinks he catches the faintest of smiles on Law’s lips but that’s all he needs—it must mean he’s right.

“Let’s go, Torao!” Luffy cheers, giving Law’s hand a quick tug. He lets Law’s hand slip easily from his own, sprinting out ahead on his way into town along the stone street set out before them. 

The scent of something meaty catches him on the breeze, enticing him away from the main road. Luffy follows his nose, lets it guide him up a hill into a wooded area. The path winds through the trees, but is well worn—enough that he’s sure to not get lost or catch his feet on any roots. His mouth waters at the thought of what kinds of meat this place will offer them. He half-expects there will be flowers involved and he's not really sure if he wants to eat those, but if Law says they're good to eat then he'll give them a try. It's all really exciting and Luffy can't wait to check it out. 

But when he reaches a clearing in the woods, it’s not a restaurant awaiting him at all. It doesn’t even look like there’s any food even though the meaty smell is so strong, so promising it’s starting to make his mouth water. All that’s there is a circle of tall stone statues that look like people, flowers set in front of each of them. In the center of it all is a small structure of elaborate woodworking which houses nothing but a giant golden bell. 

A pang of hunger rolls in Luffy’s stomach, churning out a low growl. There’s gotta be something making that delicious smell. He lifts his nose, sniffing around in the air, letting his feet wander to the left a little, then to the right, but he can’t locate whatever it is that’s teasing his stomach. 

“Hey, Torao, where’s the- Torao?” Luffy looks around the clearing, but Law’s nowhere to be seen. He just did what Law didn’t want him to again, didn’t he? He ruined the plan. Law isn’t going to be happy. He hopes Law is still going to want to take him to the restaurant, hopes Law isn’t going to be tired of him and not want to be around him anymore. What if Law got mad and went back to the ship and he’s not going to- 

Pain strikes him like a bolt of lightning through his chest. Luffy falls to his knees, the pain unforgiving. He’d thought this wouldn’t happen anymore. It hadn’t happened since Law had arrived at his ship but now it’s back. His fingertips clutch at his chest. Something inside threatens to continue stabbing at him unless he forces his breath shallow to better bear the shocks it sends through his body. 

He eases himself to the ground fully. Maybe Law won’t be upset or anything if he waits for him, and Law did say rest would make him feel better. He lies down beneath one of the statues—one that looks like a sweet old lady—the kind of lady who would offer him food unconditionally. 

But _that meat smell_ , it’s just _relentless_. He can smell it even stronger than before. He reaches up to grasp the flowers at the statue’s feet. Maybe if he just smells the flowers instead, it’ll keep his mind off of meat until Law catches up with him. He pulls in a breath, taking in the scent of the flowers. 

The flowers! It’s the flowers! The flowers smell like meat! Luffy pulls them back to study them carefully. They don’t really look like meat, but they are deep crimson—in a way like bloody, raw meat. He sticks his tongue out, gives one a cautious lick before shoving the entire thing into his mouth. 

He downs an entire fist full of the flowers before he starts to feel sick to his stomach. 

“Be careful,” the old stone lady seems to caution, “a dream come true may actually be a nightmare.” 

“What are you talking about old lady?” Luffy asks, his eyebrows scrunched together. How is she talking without moving her mouth? And come to think of it, why does she sound so young? 

“I think she means, those flowers might taste pretty good, but they’re poisonous if you eat too many,” Law speaks, learning over him. “You good?”

It’s Law! He really did come and he’s not mad!

“I think your friend is as good as dead,” a young woman says, leaning over him from the other side, her long hair falling over her shoulder. Her arms are full of the meat flowers but the smell of them just makes his stomach turn now. She places a hand on Luffy’s forehead. “He’s been cursed already,” she comments. 

Icy shivers suddenly flood his body and he goes deathly cold for a split second before the sensation is gone. It’s a strange sensation. This lady is even stranger and not in a fun way. 

 

“I don’t care about curses or whatever,” Luffy says, brushing her hand off him.

“He’s pretty resilient when it comes to poisons,” Law supposes, “but he shouldn’t have eaten them.”

“They’re an offering for the gods anyway, not _him_ ,” the woman grumbles, replacing the flowers he’d eaten. 

“The rock people are your gods who eat flowers?” Luffy asks, sitting up a little too fast. His stomach churns with a warning. “That’s weird,” he comments, taking short breaths to keep his snack from coming back up. 

“Of course not,” she scoffs, “these sculptures are a tangible representation of the gods, not an actual manifestation of them. And the flowers aren’t meant to be eaten. Not unless you want to die.” 

Luffy’s either too sick to focus on understanding what she’s saying or she’s making up words. He does know without doubt he is starting to salivate a lot more than usual. 

“Let’s go,” Law commands, holding out his hands to help Luffy up “We’re going to be late.” He seems bothered but it isn’t a gesture meant to put distance between them, so Luffy takes his hands. 

Law pulls him up a little too quickly. Actually, a lot too quickly because Luffy’s snack takes one more turn around in his stomach and decides it really doesn’t like all the movement going on in there. 

Law takes a quick step to the side, out of the way, to let Luffy void his guts onto the ground in front of them. 

Viscous crimson liquid pours from his mouth. His body heaves, expelling more than he ever thought his stomach could even hold. Luffy really thinks he might die. All he can see is red. The acrid taste of iron, of blood and bile, sticks on his tongue. But Law just mercilessly swats him on the back, makes his stomach convulse again, his body heaving dry because there’s just nothing left. 

Luffy wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, wonders how much of it might be blood and how much of it is because of the meat flowers.

“Guess you learned your lesson,” Law says, looking completely unbothered by what now looks like the remnants of a murder scene. 

The young woman does seem pretty bothered by it. “Get out of here before you desecrated this holy place any more,” she barks, coming back over as if to chase them off. 

“Don’t worry, we’re going,” Law tells her, taking Luffy by the wrist. 

 

“You still want to go eat?” Law asks, looking down at him, the sunlight speckling his face through the trees, “There’s a ton of actual meat waiting for you.”

A ton of meat waiting for him--this island really might make dreams come true.  
“Yeah!” Luffy chirps. “I’m actually pretty hungry now that my stomach is empty.”

“I thought so,” Law chuckles low and subtle.


	3. Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It was really scary. I really thought you were gonna die,” Luffy speaks, a little liveliness falling from his voice.

“What’s wrong with this one?” Luffy asks, taking up the cut of meat Law passed him. He pops it into his mouth before Law can even answer. 

“A little too well done,” Law excuses with a harmless lie. It wouldn’t kill Law to admit that he gets special pleasure in spoiling his ally, but that would ruin his game. It’s just a shame that he’s the only one who knows they’re playing. Law enjoys his private game of seeing how much affection he can show without revealing his feelings nonetheless. 

He picks a few more pieces of meat from the personal grill in the center of their table to pile onto Luffy’s plate.

Luffy dumps them all into his mouth, mumbling “We need more meat.” He hops up from the table, mouth still full. He sprints over to the buffet of raw meat just waiting to be selected for his own personal grilling pleasure. 

In a way it’s entertaining how excitable Luffy is, to be presented with such a wide variety of treats. Law watches as he piles two plates high. In a bid to go for a third plate, Luffy attempts to balance one on his arm, with abysmal success. It clatters to the ground, slabs of meat peppering the stone floor of the restaurant. 

Law should go and help him, but it’s amusing to remain a bystander and watch Luffy go territorial over tenderloins. He snatches them away from the restaurant staff who desperately want to prevent him from getting a possible food-borne illness. 

Luffy—everything about him is so ridiculous. All of his normalities are outlandishly abnormal to the rest of the world yet, for some reason, equally endearing. Law considers the reason may be as simple as him being used to Luffy’s nature. 

Luffy’s a half-second from sending the staff into a haki-induced stupor, staring them down as he makes his getaway with the two plates. He strides to the table to dump the floor-meat onto their table’s little grill. 

Law doesn’t really mind that it’s been on the floor or that he has to pry individual pieces of it away from the mass of flesh. He’s been full for a while now. They’re only still here to indulge Luffy. 

Luffy looks to be enjoying himself tonight, as he sits waiting for meat—tipping a bottle of steak sauce back and forth, watching the air bubble at the surface travel. He isn’t an unwilling participant in Law’s game of unrequited affection, just unaware, and that’s how Law prefers it. It lets Law spend less effort considering his own feelings. He doesn’t risk ruining an alliance that’s fairly unproblematic either. 

Law knows Luffy well enough to know he won’t be betrayed or sold-out, at least on purpose. He’s just got to be ready for literally anything at anytime. He’s even ready with the other plate of raw meat once Luffy decides the current batch is cooked enough to snatch it up from the grill, and shovel it into his mouth. 

“Slow down a bit,” Law feels compelled to caution him. “We've got all night.” He’s more focused on if they’ll be asked to leave than Luffy actually choking. He’s not even sure that choking would be possible for a man made of rubber. 

When Luffy makes a high-pitched, wheezing noise, it doesn’t even occur to Law that anything is wrong. It’s not until Luffy starts coughing that Law realizes he’s not as prepared for anything as he should be. 

Law jumps up from his seat to smack him on the back. He expects Luffy to cough up the meat, and for a second he does think that’s what it is. On second glance it appears to be flower petals—blood red like the ones Luffy had eaten earlier. 

Luffy’s complexion has gone a disconcerting shade of pale. It is almost pitiful when he looks to Law, opens his mouth to say something but his body shudders, letting out a hoarse cough before more petals fall from his mouth. 

“Those were not a good thing to eat,” Luffy says plainly about the flowers. He wipes his mouth on the back of his hand leaving a smear of what could easily be mistaken for blood for lack of context. He turns back to the grill, ready to get down the business of dining. 

Uneasy eyes fall on them. Quiet has blanketed the atmosphere of the restaurant, Law notices, voices of the other patrons falling into whispers. The words that do catch his ears don’t ease his worries much. 

“He’s got the curse.”

What curse? Law wasn’t aware of any such thing on this tourism-rich island. 

“Poor thing.” 

Are those flowers really that dangerous to eat? Luffy’s pretty immune to most poisons. 

Something about the change in atmosphere really doesn’t sit well with Law. It’s more than uncomfortable. It’s dark—ominous. Even if the people don’t seem to carry ill-intent, having them regard Luffy with pity is worse. It’s ruining his mood. 

Luffy doesn’t seem to care. He’s right back to munching down meat like coughing up flowers isn’t anything but an inconvenience. He’s about ready to go get more when Law catches him by the arm. 

“We’re leaving,” Law says firmly, hopes Luffy won’t ignore him. Luffy tends to do what Luffy wants. 

Luffy hums discontent for a second. “Gonna get desserts?” he asks hopefully. 

“Yes. Exactly that,” Law agrees, leading him to the door. He tosses a wad of beli at the staff on their way out without regard.

“Seems like not much is open this late,” Luffy notes looking around. 

He’s right. Aside from the meat restaurant and a few pubs, the only lights on are those mounted to the center of flower-sculpted street lamps. For the second time that night Law finds himself unprepared for anything. He hadn’t considered the time before he’d drug Luffy away from his plate. 

“You want to go back to the Sunny?” he asks, considering the possibility of running into their crew members in a pub. 

But Luffy has other ideas to lead him off the main road again, into another impromptu adventure. 

“Come on,” he tells Law, hand slipping to hold onto him by the fingertips, pulling him into a tidy orchard. 

They slip between the trees, free hands outstretched under the darkness of the canopy, feeling for the rough bark to guide them. Fireflies flickering in the air offer only the tiniest glimpse of their surroundings. 

Law instinctively jumps to initiate _room_ at the sound of snapping branches. He’s met with a laugh from Luffy. 

“You’re under attack from apples, Torao,” he teases, throwing one to him. He watches Luffy in the cyan glow of the room as he rips down three more apples to munch himself. 

The juices are sugary-sweet and for once that night Law is left without the impulse to share his food He’s tempted to even steal a few more, thinks of enjoying them baked and glazed with cinnamon. 

Foreign shouts reach them from the distance and Law lets the room fall, snatching up Luffy’s hand to run like children afraid of a scolding. He doesn’t really feel like getting into an altercation with locals. It’s exhilarating to flee for once, giddy on sugar and freshly committed crime, unconcerned about consequence. 

He doesn’t stop even when the orchard opens up into a field of flowers, moonlight pouring over them. 

Luffy starts gaining on him, racing him. He doesn’t let go of Law’s hand, but Law can feel the stretch of his rubber limb. 

If they’re using their abilities now, Law doesn’t mind. He pitches his half-eaten apple into the air, over and ahead of them. He catches Luffy glancing over his shoulder when he initiates his room again. There’s no time for him to calculate, think or plan. He whispers a quick ‘shambles’ and with that finds himself in the air, half a second from falling into Luffy. 

They collide full-force, Luffy’s body bending in inhuman ways. The two of them roll over each other through the high grass and flowers, tumbling until they’re laid out on the ground. 

Luffy laughs full and free, rolls over onto his back next to Law. 

“That was fun,” he speaks, breathless. 

“Yeah,” Law agrees. 

“Does it ever feel weird?” Luffy asks then. 

Law’s mind drifts to his feelings. He thinks how weird it is that being with Luffy makes him feel so unburdened by the weight of reality—makes him want to act on emotion over reason. 

“Looks like it would feel weird,” Luffy says. His fingertips reach into the fresh rip in Law’s sleeve to trace the thin, smooth scar that runs through the center of the heart on Law’s right bicep.

“My arm?” Law clarifies, watching the grass bend and sway over Luffy’s face.

“Yeah, is it the same as before it got cut off in Dressrosa?” he asks without looking up. 

“Well, it’s pretty much back to normal,” Law supposes. “Why do you ask?”

“It was really scary. I really thought you were gonna die,” Luffy speaks, a little liveliness falling from his voice. 

“I once thought you were going to succumb to your wounds as well,” Law confesses, eyes wandering over the other captain’s chest. He doesn’t feel guilt at having had no fear for Luffy’s life at the time. It just contrasts how much their relationship has grown since then. It compels Law to feel lucky to be in his presence—fortunate that he’s got the chance to know him so closely. 

The thought of him sustaining worse in the future sends a chill through Law’s veins. It scares him to think of it—to consider that as reckless as Luffy is, such a thing might be inevitable. Law can’t fight the feeling that this alliance is seeing it’s best days right now. He is _terrified_ deep down in depths of his being with a soul-consuming dread that the end of these days will not come easy. He’s got to enjoy the time they’ve got together now—it’s precious and sacred in its own right. Law doesn’t dare to pressure Luffy for anything more. He’ll play his game of unrequited love to the end.


	4. Rivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Rivals,” Law interjects with half-asleep muttering. “We’re rivals.” 
> 
> “You and me?” Luffy asks. He’s never thought of them as rivals and he’s sure he never will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s plenty more fluff this time around before things get any more serious~  
> It’s a bit of a slow burn but things are about to pick up a bit, I promise. I see those “Just confess already!” comments〜

Chattering voices pull Luffy from his dreams. He doesn’t want to wake up, not yet. It feels like he’d fallen asleep stargazing with Law just seconds ago. 

Even though sleeping outside on the ground has never been uncomfortable for him and his body does feel like it’s not ready to get up, he mostly wants to savor a few more minutes of being cuddled up with Law. Law’s body is warm, the sound of his breath soothing. He even smells nice with the smoke from last night’s grilled meat still clinging to his clothes. 

“Aww, aren’t they the cutest?” someone coos, almost mocking in tone. Sounds like one of Law’s crew although he can’t place exactly whose voice it is. 

“I never thought I’d ever hear anyone call Captain ‘cute’,” someone else remarks.

Luffy would agree, but come to think of it Law could be cute at times. The way he tugged the brim of his hat down to try hiding his face—that was cute. And the tiny smile Law sometimes wore when it was just the two of them—the kind of smile that was there and gone in an instant like Law was trying to hide it—that was cute too. As much as Luffy wanted to know Law’s feelings, it was pretty cute when he tried to hide them. 

“You think they meant to sleep out here?” comes a voice a little too close. 

“Shut the hell up, Penguin. You’re gonna wake them!” another scolds. 

Luffy’s already awake. He just doesn’t want to be yet, and it’s seeming like he won’t get to drift back to sleep again. 

“At least wait until Nami takes a picture.” 

“Huh? What’s Nami taking a picture of?” Luffy yawns, blinking his eyes to adjust to the morning sun. It’s no use fighting to sleep. He really can’t ignore all their voices. Besides, he’s awake enough now to feel his stomach starting to grumble. 

“Never mind it,” Nami tells him. 

Stretching, Luffy sits up just in time to see her palming something suspiciously snail-like and tucking it away in a woven basket. But the snail isn’t really what concerns him so much as his curiosity about what else is in that basket. His meat-detecting instincts are cuing him into something salty, fried over flame and dripping with juicy, cured flavour. 

“Did you bring breakfast?” Luffy asks, and the answer better be ‘yes’ because he’s had more than his fill of deceptive flowers. 

“We came up here ‘cause we thought it would be a nice day to have a brunch picnic in the wildflower field,” Ikkaku discloses, pulling out a large plaid picnic blanket. It’s not really an answer to his question but close enough. 

“Imagine our surprise when we found you two.” Robin smiles at him discreetly, knowingly as though she’s keeping a secret of his. She sprouts a half-dozen hands to help Ikkaku set out the blanket on the lush grass. 

“Our lovely high-class ladies-only brunch picnic has already been infiltrated by uncouth men,” Sanji grumbles, pulling dishes from a large covered basket, “so you may as well wake up Torao and get your asses over here too.” 

“Oh, Sanji, don’t be so hard on yourself,” Ikkaku quips, “you’re not that uncouth.”

“And if you were talking about Shachi and Penguin, judging by how they act, I’d say they’re just kids,” Nami adds. She and Ikkaku give each other appreciative glances, giggle at each other’s wittiness. 

Shachi just looks to Penguin who stops helping Sanji long enough to give a quick shrug. He doesn’t deny they act like they’re half their ages half the time. 

“Hey, Torao, wake up,” Luffy says, shaking his shoulder with one hand, body already up and closing the distance to the food. 

“That’s not gonna work,” Penguin notes, handing a cup to Shachi who shouts “Wake up Captain, we’ve got coffee!” as he pours the dark, steaming liquid into the cup. 

Law does this weird little sit-up, folding in half with his body stiff like he’s being sat up in a hospital bed. His hat tumbles from his head, but he doesn’t pay it any mind. Groaning out like a zombie, he pulls himself off the ground to stumble the few steps to the picnic and throw himself back down next to his crew mates. 

Luffy grabs a fistful of bacon and scoots closer to him. 

“There, there, drink your coffee,” Penguin tells Law, almost patronizing, putting the cup in his captain’s hands. 

Law mumbles something, head lolling forward to sip from the cup in his hands. 

“That’s a good boy,” Shachi encourages mockingly, going so far as to ruffle his hair. 

Law just grumbles incoherent, lazily smacking his hand away. 

He really is funny when he’s just woken up Luffy decides, adds one more thing to his mental list of things that’s cute about Law. 

“So what were you two _lovers_ doing sleeping out here?” Ikkaku asks, passing Luffy a plate of sandwiches and a hearty helping of sausages. 

He’s almost persuaded to start a list of reasons why she’s his next favourite of the Heart Pirates. 

“Rivals,” Law interjects with half-asleep muttering. “We’re rivals.” 

“You and me?” Luffy asks. He’s never thought of them as rivals and he’s sure he never will. They’re allies technically, friends definitely, and maybe they could be lovers. The word does have a nice sound. Come to think of it, it would be pretty nice if Law loved him enough for that. Something stirs in his heart at the thought—that light, happy fluttering. 

“We may have an alliance now,” Law states from behind his steaming cup “but we’re both after the one piece.” He gives Luffy a little less than a glance, goes back to his coffee, staring at it like it’ll tell him the secrets of existence. 

“That doesn’t mean you guys can’t be more than one thing,” Penguin notes. 

“Yeah, don’t you want to be lovers too, Torao?” Luffy asks, leaning close, stretching a little to wrap an arm around Law in a sort of hug. He does wish Law would love him, but the thought that he might not does stick Luffy with a slight twinge of pain. Still, he wants to know if it’s possible. 

“They do say that rivals make the most passionate lovers,” Robin concurs calmly. 

Their crew members, especially Law’s have a laugh at his expense. 

Law’s efforts to retort while mid-sip send him choking on his coffee, sputtering, coughing which only has them laughing harder. 

Luffy can’t help but join in with them as he takes his arm from around Law. He smacks him on the back just like Law had done for him before. 

“Yeah, laugh it up. I should cut your hearts out,” Law mumbles his threat which doesn’t seem to carry any weight, downs the rest of his coffee. 

Luffy’s about to offer a ‘sorry’ once he can manage to stop laughing but a sharp pain in his ribs cuts off his breath. A tickle rises to his throat, only allows him a few short coughs before flower petals, the same as before, start to spill from his mouth. 

This shouldn’t be happening. He thought he’d gotten them all out last night when he spewed the flowers onto the floor of the meat restaurant. 

“What the hell?” Sanji mutters under his breath. 

“Mugiwara, are you ok?” Ikkaku gasps, passing him a cup of tea Shachi’s poured out. 

“Luffy, what did you do now?” There’s worry in Nami’s voice. 

“I only-“ Luffy’s cut off by a stab through the chest again. He doubles over, leaning in to Law as he pants in shallow breaths, eyes squeezed shut trying to concentrate on making the pain go away. 

“He ate poisonous flowers that happen to smell like meat. He’s been coughing them up ever since,” Law supplies. “I didn’t think he ate that many.”

“I didn’t,” Luffy confesses, “only a few.” That’s not his biggest problem right now. He’s more inconvenienced by whatever it is he feels attacking him from the inside. 

“On the way to this island I was looking up information. I recall coming across a tale about a curse carried by such flowers,” Robin discloses. “I’ll try to find the book again.”

“But my heart hurts now,” Luffy tells them. That’s what he wants to fix most of all. 

“It’s going to be alright,” Law tells him, stoking Luffy’s back soothingly. “For now just concentrate on my voice.” 

“Tell me what things we are,” Luffy demands weakly. 

Law just looks down at him, hums. 

“More than rivals,” Luffy asserts. He wants to know what Law defines them as. 

“Ok,” Law consents, “We are rivals to an extent still, confirmed allies, and I suppose we _might_ have established a fairly friendly rapport-“

“Just say ‘friends’, Captain,” Shachi urges.

“And then say ask him to be your boyfriend,” Ikkaku suggests, “We see the way you look at him.” 

“Like the way you look at her?” Law asks, gesturing to Nami. 

Ikkaku blushes a deep shade of red. The rest laugh. 

“You should have seen her buying her drinks all night last night,” Penguin chimes in. 

“It was sweet,” Nami says, patting Ikkaku’s hand. 

Thinking about other things, like what Law thinks, being able to laugh with everyone, the comfort of having Law’s hand on his back, it’s helping. Luffy’s pain is fading into just a little tightness in his chest now. Even so, he doesn’t want it to come back. 

“Torao,” Luffy nudges Law, “What about my heart hurting. Relaxing isn’t fixing it for good.”

“I’ve got another suggestion for how to help you then,” Law says, “but it’ll make us rivals only.”

“Not funny,” Sanji snorts. “Luffy is gonna take you seriously.”

“I’m not joking,” Law says plainly. “It’s only temporary. He’ll see what I mean.” 

“But-“ Luffy tries to protest. 

“Yes we can still be more than one thing afterward,” Law answers, looks away from him. 

Luffy thinks he catches a faint smile on Law’s lips before his hand moves to mask it, chin propped on his palm, fingers covering his mouth in a mock display of contemplation. He really is kind of cute when he tries to hide his feelings.


	5. War

Engaging the Straw Hat Pirates in all-out war was a mistake, Law has to confess. He really hadn’t intended for it to be anything more than a friendly competition between their crews. It was meant as an attempt to assuage Luffy’s anxieties, assuming that’s what’s been causing his pain. He hadn’t been at all prepared for the hell Luffy’s entire crew would bring down upon his own.

Here he is now, trapped on the Thousand Sunny, soaked in sea water and too weakened to initiate his room. Law skirts the battle, feeling with his haki to sense anyone that might notice him. He ducks into their storage room with silent stealth despite his nerves. His shaking hands fumble for the door, pull it closed, muffling the screams of his comrades outside. 

Law jumps back as a thud sounds against the door. From the other side he can hear Shachi’s desperate pleas for mercy falling on deaf ears, cut short by the enemy. Bepo and Penguin’s cries to avenge Shachi slice through the air, are silenced not but a second later.

Law backs away from the door, raking his fingers through his hair. Trembling, he falls to his knees. He’s too late. He can’t protect them. He can’t save any of them. It’s a complete massacre and he’s left powerless, hiding away like a coward. 

It’s so uncharacteristic of the Straw Hats to have staged an ambush, but Law has no other way of perceiving the events that have transpired. Law had never envisioned they’d use sea water or make it more potent just to render him useless. This is not what Law had expected when he’d proposed a water fight—water guns, water balloons, and such. The weather on the island was nice enough and it was intended to be simple, innocent fun. 

“I found you, Torao.” Luffy laughs from behind him. 

Law turns slowly toward the voice, no attempt to hide the abject horror on his face at the sight of the other captain’s contorted form crawling through the window. 

“Torao, help,” he whines, dropping his water pistol to push against the window, twisting at the waist. 

Law realizes then just how soaked Luffy is—even more than himself. He’s probably feeling the lack of his abilities too. There’s no harm in propping the window open so Luffy can slip through and tumble onto the floor in a puddle. 

“I forfeit, just so you know,” Law says, hands up before Luffy can go shooting him with the water pistol. 

“Okay. Everyone’s dead now anyways.” Luffy replies, slumps against a crate. He puts the end of the water pistol in his mouth, squeezes the little plastic trigger.

“I hope you don’t mean actually dead.” Law knows he means they’re just out of the fight. It was only a water battle. He takes a seat next next to Luffy, leaning back, feeling completely drained of energy. “I don’t want to captain the dead.“

“Captain of Death,” Luffy chuckles, “it’s your new nickname.” 

“Don’t want it,” Law says, “‘Captain’ doesn’t strike fear the way ‘surgeon’ does.”

“Are people supposed to be afraid of surgeons?” Luffy hums, shoots some more of whatever he’s drinking into his mouth. “I’m alive because you’re a surgeon,” he reminds him.

Law knows that surgeons are meant to save lives and not cause death. If he simply went around causing death, it’d make him no more than a common murderer. The epithet ‘Surgeon of Death’ is meant to suggest that he could end lives in bloody dismemberment or worse, but he decides that it’s alright if Luffy doesn’t really get it. 

“Want some?” Luffy asks, as though it’s an afterthought, holding his pistol out to Law for a second. A small amount of orange liquid ebbs and flows through the moulded plastic insides of the water pistol. 

Law doesn’t really want it. But Luffy’s offered it to him—Luffy who’s rarely ever offered him something of his own before, at least in this sense. Luffy’s offered him so much else so much more easily—friendship, the fiercest of loyalty. Offering food or drink that he’s already laid claim to himself is just so uncommon. Law feels kind of silly for putting so much weight on the gesture while Luffy probably doesn’t spare it a second thought. 

“It’s ok if you don’t want some,” Luffy says. He takes back the water pistol to shoot the rest of it into his own mouth. 

No, you know what, Law _does_ want it. Suddenly, he wants it more than he’s ever wanted anything. He wants it so desperately he gives no second thought to lunging forward, pressing his lips to Luffy’s to steal it from his mouth. 

The sweet tang of orange hits his taste buds. He chases it over Luffy’s tongue. His mind swims euphoric, so caught in the moment it takes him a second to realize this isn’t just about reclaiming some juice. _He’s kissing Luffy._

No. What has he done?!

This isn’t okay. 

Law reels back, excuses, apologies on his tongue. He’s ready to make amends if Luffy will let him. He wants to save this alliance, this friendship. He shouldn’t have dared to go this far. Something dirty, repulsive creeps through Law to think how he’s pushed himself on Luffy. He would deserve it if Luffy hit him for this. 

Luffy’s face screws up, eyebrows dipping, mouth twisting into a menacing grin. It’s an expression that Law has no idea how to read, but before he can even try Luffy’s diving at him. 

Luffy tackles him to the floor, one arm wrapped around his neck, calloused fingertips pressed against his cheek, Luffy’s lips to his own. 

It’s rough and unforgiving, the treatment Luffy’s giving him, pinning him to the floor, kissing him back like he’s out to devour his soul. Law would give it to him. Law would give him anything. 

Law’s wandering fingertips threading into Luffy’s hair, his other hand slipping around the small of his back. His body feels so solid in his arms, so natural it’s almost unnatural. Holding Luffy like this is more than he’s ever dared to dream of. 

It’s too soon when Luffy breaks the kiss. He hiccups, coughs flower petals that rain down onto Law’s face.  
Luffy’s body shudders, spilling even more over him. The scent of them is something metallic, like iron—like blood. 

Law tries not to overthink it. He brushes them off, more concerned about how Luffy’s feeling than being covered in flowers. 

“Are you alright?” He asks, grasping Luffy’s face in his hands. 

“Yeah,” Luffy says hoarsely, pulling one more petal from his mouth. He tosses it to the floor and bends down close to give Law one more soft kiss. 

Law can’t stand the thought that coughing up flowers has somehow become this weird little mundane thing Luffy now has to deal with. He’s going to fix this. He’s not letting Luffy leave him until he does. 

“Are you in pain?” Law has to know. All he can do for now is hold Luffy in his arms, to try to comfort him but it feels like not enough. 

“A little,” Luffy speaks, his breath warm and sweet on Law’s lips. “But about us, what’s next?”

Law wants to tell Luffy it’s entirely up to him where their relationship goes from here, but feels it ill-advised to admit it so easily and while he’s so high on infatuation. Right now he’d consent to being Luffy’s boyfriend, his lover, whatever Luffy wants. 

“My crew won, so I do choose the next game?” Luffy asks. 

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Law seriously needs to figure out how Luffy’s mind works. So far the only thing he’s got to work off of is that he and Luffy are apparently never thinking the same thing. 

“The next game after the water battle,” Luffy explains. “There’s three games, right?”

“I had only intended to have a water battle for fun,” Law clarifies. “It’s not a Davy Back Fight or anything.”

Luffy looks a little put-out, frown curving across his lips. 

“I refuse to give you any crew members or let you mess with my jollyroger.” Law has got to be firm about some things despite how Luffy’s existence pushes his boundaries. He never intended for any serious competition. 

“You don’t have to,” Luffy informs him. “I just wanna win more kisses.” 

Law is fighting a losing battle trying to decipher Luffy’s logic, but if Luffy thinks his kiss was the prize, it’s good enough for him. 

“What are you going to do if I win?” Law asks. 

“Hope you want kisses too?” Luffy supposes. 

“Sure,” Law agrees, “but in private.” He’s not really one to flaunt his personal matters. 

In any case, he still needs to find out what’s causing Luffy’s health problem, so there’s no harm in buying time with another competition or two. Letting Luffy win a few more kisses isn’t going to hurt anyone. 

… … … 

Friendly competition is often followed by celebration, at least for the Straw Hat crew, and parties are always mandatory when meeting up with the Heart Pirates. That night it’s the best of both. The deck of the Sunny is so lively that Luffy doesn’t notice it right away, mostly because he’s in the throes of dessert, but Law seems to have disappeared. Robin and Chopper don’t seem to be around either, but what concerns him more is Law’s absence. They still haven’t picked the next game. 

The rest of the Heart Pirates are still around, mingling with his own crew. Some of them are helping with the post-dinner washing up. Some of them brought a traditional North Blue drink—some kind of alcohol to challenge Zoro with. A few of them are about to go into debt with Nami who’s gotten out her hanafuda cards. None of those things interest Luffy, but so long as they’re still on the Sunny, there’s a good chance Law is too. 

Snatching up a few extra slices of Sanji’s honey castella to munch on, he sets off in search of Law. There are few places on the Sunny that Law would wander off to—either the library or the infirmary. Robin being gone as well just makes the library all the more likely. Otherwise, he’ll check to see if Law’s with Chopper in the infirmary. 

Luffy sprints off to the back of the ship, stretches up to grab hold of the ledge of the red and yellow striped roof which houses the library below. The room comes into view through the window as Luffy reels himself up on his rubber arms. 

He has to laugh to himself a little, pleased to know how predictable everyone is, because there’s Law with Robin and Chopper as well sitting at a table in the center of the room. They seem to be having a pretty intense conversation. Their voices carry a serious tone. 

“It doesn’t say anything about the flower being poisonous,” Chopper informs the other two, leaning over a thick medical text. “It releases spores into the body, which provide it with the ideal environment to grow.”

“So in other words, it’s parasitic,” Law surmises. 

“That would confirm what it says in the legend about the Lover’s Curse being a slow death,” Robin notes. 

“I was told by a local that it’s poisonous,” Law says. “Why would anyone lie about such a thing?”

“I’m not sure, but in the story it says ‘Leiana sought the poison of the Lover’s Curse. For a slow and painful death in love would surely save her from a long and painful life without’,” Robin reads from the small book in her hands. 

“You can take care of it, right?” Chopper asks Law.

“With the use of my ability, I can and will be able to separate the spores from his body,” Law reassures them. “I don’t want to cause any undue stress, so I’ll do it when-“

The slightest sound from Luffy sliding the window open cuts off their conversation. Robin sprouts extra hands to help him open it enough to slip inside. 

“Oh my, what are you doing out there?” She smiles warmly at him, demeanor completely changed from seconds before. 

“What’s with you and crawling through windows today?” The tone of Law’s voice seems to carry a little playfulness even though his expression is still etched serious across his face. 

“I was looking for you, Torao,” Luffy explains, “We didn’t decide tomorrow’s game.” 

“I’ve got to go back to the island tomorrow,” Law says, decidedly. “That place in the woods-“

“Hunting atlas beetles!” Luffy cries, his mouth moving faster than his mind. It’s the perfect competition for them. 

“Atlas beetles?” Law asks, one eyebrow raised. If he’s never hunted them before Luffy could show him how. It’s not that hard. 

“They’re a great treasure!” Chopper adds, emphatically. “Maybe even as great as the One Piece!”

“Maybe,” Luffy concurs. “It’s really hard to say. But that’s what I want to do! We’ll see who can find the biggest one!”

“Alright,” Law supposes. 

“Okay!” Luffy cheers. “I’m gonna win more kisses from Torao!” He can't wait to get back to the island even if those stupid meat flowers are going to be there. He just won’t eat them this time. 

Tomorrow is going to be a great adventure. Law has some good ideas, but this competition was really the best idea.


	6. Memento

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law has been careless. He’s been stupid. He’s a doctor and he should know better. He should never have been dismissive about Luffy’s symptoms. The situation is now deadly serious and he’s to blame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> possible trigger warning: mentions of death, dead bodies
> 
> It's been a while, yeah? Lemme apologize with a little longer chapter than the last ones.

“You ever hunt beetles?” Luffy asks, his feet shwish-shwishing back and forth over Law’s thick, weighted blanket.

Law doesn’t begrudge Luffy for having followed him back to the Polar Tang, to his room, to make his bed his own for the night. Conveniently enough, it will make it easier for Law to scan his body for spores once he falls asleep. Law just wishes that he would sleep so he could get to it. 

“No,” Law says simply, sitting on the corner of his bed. He runs his fingers through Luffy’s knotted hair, muses around the thought of disguising his scan as routine medical procedure, though now is neither the time nor place. He can’t give Luffy any undue anxiety, knowing how grim his situation may read. 

“Don’t worry Torao, I’ll show you how to find the best ones.” Luffy’s smile curves wide across his face. Anxiety—what a strange thing to have to diagnose Luffy with. He just has no other plausible explanation for the mysterious pains that have been plaguing him even before he’d eaten the flowers.

“How do I know you won’t just give me bad advice to make sure I _don’t_ find the biggest one?” It’s hard to resist the urge to engage in banter if Luffy will go along with it. Luffy inspires this kind of lighthearted feeling to slip into his words, his actions, his life. 

“I wouldn’t do that.” Luffy’s smile flips into a slight pout. 

“Sure,” Law teases, doing his best to subdue a smile. He catches himself still stroking Luffy’s hair, and it suddenly feels a little too soft, too intimate. He ruffles his hair instead, ends the physical contact there. 

“No, you-“ Luffy’s words seize in his throat. His smile twists into a grimace he holds just long enough to tip Law off that something’s not right.

“You feeling alright?” Law jumps to ask, ignoring the topic of beetles. 

Luffy hums in thought a minute before answering with “I’m okay.” 

Law’s personal involvement may have his judgement clouded, but he feels that Luffy shouldn’t have needed to think about his answer. He can hear Luffy's shaky breath as he sits there tracing the hem of the blanket beneath his fingertips, suddenly so much less chatty. Law wants to say something to cut the awkward quiet, do something to make Luffy feel better. 

“This blanket is heavy,” Luffy notes then, crawling under it. 

“It’s supposed to be,” Law explains. “It‘s a weighted blanket,” he adds, leaving out the part where he confesses that it gives him a feeling of security, eases his own anxieties. It helps to keep away nightmares that would have him relive his past. Maybe it could help Luffy too. 

Luffy squirms, turning this way and that until he finds a comfortable position. “It’s like it’s hugging my whole body,” he notes. 

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Law confirms, crawling in beside him. He wants to hold Luffy, comfort him with his own embrace. He inches closer to the possibility of more physical contact, no matter how nervous the prospect makes him. 

“Hugs from you would feel nicer than the blanket,” Luffy presses. 

“How about this then?” Law asks, slipping an arm around him. 

“Yeah,” Luffy confirms, “all hugs from all sides. A kiss would be good too.”

Law’s already so close. The tips of their noses are nearly brushing. He can almost taste the sweetness on Luffy’s breath. He’s aching to kiss him back with the same kind of passion Luffy showed him earlier, but only if Luffy’s really alright now, his pain subsided. It would be so easy if Law could just quit overthinking enough to act. 

“I’ll have to win another one tomorrow,” Luffy chuckles, and Law’s will to act falls away. The moment dismissed, there’s no way he can try to kiss him now. 

His thumb smooths over Luffy’s shoulder. His eyes follow the curve of his face, count the few sparse freckles that dot his sun-kissed skin. Luffy just blinks at him slowly, tired eyes full of shared emotion still too fragile to put into words. 

He should probably be thankful that Luffy assumes kisses are only part of their game. It buys him time to completely consider the implications of getting in too deep with an ally, but he doesn’t need it. Even though he’ll never admit it, Law’s already in over his head. 

Luffy curls into him, tucking his head in the nook of his shoulder and Law wills time to slow, wishes he had that power. This time they’re sharing in private, however fleeting, is sacred and precious. It should be terrifying how much Luffy has warmed his way into his heart, but it feels natural, feels right. He can’t resist placing a soft kiss on his temple. He hopes Luffy will forgive him for bending the rules. 

… … … … ...

The morning sun wakes Law before he realizes he’s fallen asleep. Thankful for the wakeup call that comes with having the sub surfaced, he wastes no time summoning a room. He shambles himself out from under Luffy, gets right to initiating a scan with his powers.

Scanning his body for spores isn’t as hard as anyone might expect. Law’s so well versed in anatomy, he could even construct a human from the marrow up if given the right ingredients. It’s so easy for him to locate foreign presences, signs of things that shouldn’t be. His ability is so great it’s almost shocking even to himself—almost as shocking as his evident ignorance.

His oversight could cost Luffy his life. 

Law has been careless. He’s been stupid. He’s a doctor and he should know better. He should never have been dismissive about Luffy’s symptoms. The situation is now deadly serious and he’s to blame. The spores have already rooted themselves into the walls of Luffy’s lungs. They’re so well fused now that he’d have to cut out the majority of the organs themselves. 

His quivering hand reaches for Kikoku. His mind racing to come up with options. He considers for a moment swapping Luffy’s lungs out for his own. Not simply changing whose body they are in—actually transplanting them. He’s not sure it’s possible for him to even do such complicated procedure involving himself. He’d probably pass out before completing it. He just can’t stand the thought of how much pain Luffy must be in. It’s his fault for acting like some lovesick idiot around Luffy instead of a medical professional as he should have. 

It will do Law no good to obsess over his mistake, but he’s finding it difficult to focus on anything else. He has to fix this. He’s going to fix this before it gets any worse. What he needs is more knowledge about the illness in order to cure it. He just hopes Luffy won’t be too disappointed if he heads out to the island first. He’s going to seek out the religious devotee they’d met before instead of hunting beetles anyway.

The forest is already awake and lively with birdsong and chirping insects by the time he reaches it. Morning dew soaks through his pant legs but he’s far too preoccupied with his thoughts to really care.

Law’s instincts had cautioned him not to trust Luffy when he said he was okay. He was not okay—not in the least. Law should have picked up on it before now. He should’ve taken into account that he was dealing with Luffy of all people—Luffy who hasn’t let being beaten, poisoned or stabbed hinder him. This is the Luffy who he’s had to put back together, who even after suffering vicious wounds, was still more concerned with his brother over his own pain. Law of all people should know well Luffy’s ability to bear pain—that Luffy’s own judgement may be skewed. He’s got to be suffering badly whether he fully recognizes it or not.

He’s too busy thinking of Luffy, he doesn’t consider what he’ll do when he reaches the clearing on the hill to find no one there except the stone gods. He has an impulse to vent his irritation by slicing them up, leaving them in ruins, but that won’t help him cure Luffy. 

There aren’t any flowers offered to those gods yet this morning it seems, so he can’t even take a sample to study. He’ll have to find their source if he wants to take one. He hadn’t seen any of them growing along his way up even though he’d run into the odd religious woman on his way the first time. She’d had an armful of them then. 

Law backtracks down the hill, through the trees, looking for subtle signs of a side trail. The birdsong trills overhead as if they’re laughing at his expense. It makes him think of how he’d been lied to, lead to believe that poison was the least of it. It irks him to consider how much of an idiot he’d been for not taking Luffy’s symptoms more seriously.

He uses his haki to sense for life around him, picking up only on the native creatures skittering about, wary of him. He can’t find any indication of a human presence, but off to his left there does seem to be a void—a strong force either repelling of any kind of life or blocking out his haki. Evidence of a trail is still lacking, so he follows his senses, brushing aside briars and undergrowth as he goes. The forest seems to be growing dimmer, dark clouds gathering over the canopy. Wind carries a chill through the air, picking up a faint, metallic scent. The closer he gets, the more the scent starts to sour his senses, turning sickeningly pungent as rotting flesh. The rain finding its way through the canopy does little to diminish the smell. 

Red catches Law’s eyes through the trees. The vibrant display entices him in on fixation alone. The colour spills out from a small fenced-in area on the petals of crimson flowers. They drip red, dying the rainwater that pools in their centers. It trickles out over the petals, bleeding onto the ground. 

A tiny stone structure—almost like a house of some sort sits opposite him on the property, flanked by two hooded stone figures much like the gods on the hill. The atmosphere feels so abstract, otherworldly. It’s as if the flowers have crept into the garden to choke out anything else that may have been growing there, and the residents have simply allowed it, or even encouraged it. The sight of it feels all the more foreboding in light of the ever-present stench. 

A chill crawls its up Law’s skin from fingertip to the nape of his neck, making his hairs stand on end. He can sense death in this place. This place is heavy with it even if he can’t see it. His instincts prickle against him, warning him to be afraid. Law smirks—after the life he’s had it’ll take far worse to get him to run. 

His fingers tighten around Kikoku, ready to call on her the moment there’s trouble. He cautiously crosses the fence into grounds, paying no mind to the flowers he’s trampling. He almost takes pleasure in it as a kind of petty revenge. His footsteps sink into the soil, unsettling. He’s no gardener but he’d imagine such loose ground would be too unstable, though he hasn’t uprooted any flowers. 

His heels slip, uneasy against the slick foliage, sending him reeling forward. He can’t hope to find balance over the slippery foliage, tripping forward, catching himself on hands and knees. 

Tinted rainwater splashes against his jeans, staining them bloody-red. The loose soil beneath his fingertips yields something solid, yellow-white. He feels with his fingertips to unearth it, feel the curve of it—unmistakably bone. 

“Careful or you’ll unearth the bodies.” It’s the woman’s voice—the one from before, the religious devotee he’d wanted to meet. She’s lying among the flowers just out of his reach. 

“Bodies?” Law questions.

“The ones buried here,” she offers as way of explanation. She sits up, long hair falling in her face, making her look near-ghoulish.

“Seems like an extreme thing to use for fertilizer,” Law says, rising to his feet. His fingers curl around Kikoku’s hilt.

“Don’t disrespect the dead or our customs,” she barks, standing to face him. “Especially when you’re the one trespassing in our cemetery. You damned pirates have no manners.” 

“How about you tell me about those customs then?” Law proposes coldly. He won't confess neither his ignorance about not realizing this place is a cemetery, nor his oversights as a doctor. He’s short on time and needs information. 

“You’re not interested in why we bury the unloved here,” she accuses. “By the way, how’s your friend?”

How dare she—the smug look on her face is all too telling. She gives as much of a shit about how Luffy’s doing as Law does about her people’s customs. She probably wants him dead. She probably wants to bury him here, to let the flowers that are growing in him to consume him. She likely thinks he’d deserve to rot in her cemetery for having defiled her gods or some such thing. 

“Is he really resistant enough to the poison?” She asks stepping forward. 

_“You liar.”_ Law seethes, his hands shaking as he forms a room. “There’s not really any poison in those flowers, is there?”

“Well, legend has it this flower, the Lover’s Curse, is poisonous,” she says apathetic, turning to walk away from him, “and people really used to think so”. 

The _audacity_ of this woman, sparing no thought to how badly this plant is affecting Luffy—how he’s suffering because of _her_. Law strips the blame from Luffy for having eaten the flowers, from himself for having dismissed them as a threat. Instead he arms himself with it—the blame, the fear and the rage that stem from his oversight.

He affords himself no time to revel in his enemy’s fear. This woman likely wouldn’t give him the satisfaction anyway. She appears unsurprised, unbothered at being at his mercy, having her heart safely in her chest one second, and in Law’s hand the next. 

He ought to crush it, make her feel the pain Luffy’s feeling tenfold. He ought to murder her nice and slow and merciless, but something’s not right, hasn’t been right. She looks back at him like she’s more curious what he’ll do than worried for her life. It’s because she’s really not concerned for her life in the slightest. The heart in his grasp, it’s still. It’s cold. It’s dead. 

“Oh look, now mister Surgeon of Death has stolen my heart,” she speaks, patronizing. “You want to keep it as a memento to remember the time you let your ally die?” she asks. 

“I could still-”

“Cut me to pieces? You’d better not. That would ruin your chances of me helping you save him,” she states with a frown, her eyebrows drawn together. 

“What do you want in return?” He asks cautiously, unsure if he’ll play to her wishes, short as he is on time. She’s going to trying to manipulate him, but he’s not guaranteed help elsewhere. The locals who had been friendly when they first arrived had later leveled heavy stigmatization at Luffy for being afflicted. Their hospitality turned to whispered pity. Nobody had offered help. 

“Your heart,” she says. “You trade your heart for my help to save his life.” 

“Why should I trust you?” He doesn’t think he should agree to the deal, but Luffy’s suffering is getting worse. He’s dying. “You’ve already lied to me once. About the poison.” 

“Nobody else on this island knows as much as I do about the Lover’s Curse,” she speaks, snatching her heart back. “Everyone else wants to stay as far away from ‘the curse’ as possible. They don’t even come here to visit the unloved dead.”

Law isn’t wholly convinced, but he has to act quickly. Luffy might not last much longer. His illness is already beyond something Law can handle alone whether his pride wants to let him outright admit it or not. 

“Make your decision now,” the woman demands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry but updates will happen when the happen since my brain keeps trying to abort itself... err I mean the chronic migraines have been more troublesome than usual lately. So pls be patient and thanks for reading~~


	7. Missing You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Though he’d expected Law to be lying right there beside him, Law had apparently had better plans. 
> 
> It shouldn’t be a big deal, but hurts anyway—maybe literally. Luffy’s chest feels all tight already and he’s just woken up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuse for how long this has taken.

Assuming that hunger is Luffy’s default feeling when waking up wouldn’t be a wrong assumption. His need to fill his stomach is near-primal instinct. Undeniable fact. It’s something easy to remedy. He needs a heaping plate of protein and a few tasty sides—nothing more to think about. 

Waking to find himself alone in Law’s bed—that’s a different feeling completely, and one he’s not ready to deal with first thing in the morning. It’s almost unbearable. His stomach grumbles to let him know it’s empty, but it’s nothing compared to how empty his heart feels right then. The bedroom is too still, too quiet it’s unnatural. If he’s still dreaming, he needs to wake up because this place is just too lonely without Law. 

It would have been fun to try picking Law up, carry him to breakfast and see how far he could get before he’d wake up. Or Luffy could’ve tried whispering something like ‘coffee’s ready’ into his ear and see if he sits right up, all anxious to get some. 

But Law isn’t here to play around with. The bed feels too big now that he’s gone. Even if Luffy sprawls out there’s still space—space for Law to lie, tucked under one of his arms, cuddling warm against his body. 

Though he’d expected Law to be lying right there beside him, Law had apparently had better plans.  

It shouldn’t be a big deal, but hurts anyway—maybe literally. Luffy’s chest feels all tight already and he’s just woken up. 

Luffy slides out of bed, leaving the blankets in disarray. The rousing cool of a spring morning tingles his skin, but he is not ready for the sobering shock of the sub’s cold metal floor. It has him scrambling to find his sandals which must have gotten kicked under Law’s bed last night. The extra effort, or maybe his ever-grumbling stomach, or maybe both just adds up to making him all the more agitated that Law isn’t there. 

So, Law probably couldn’t sleep or something. Luffy’s known him long enough to know that’s pretty usual. It’s still almost like a betrayal of his feelings for Law to not be around at all. This is his room after all. It’s not crazy to think he’d hang out here. And if he didn’t want to be here, he could’ve at least tried telling him. He could’ve left a tone dial or a note at least. 

 

Luffy hopes he’ll find Law at breakfast. And while all the other Heart Pirates have gathered on the deck of the Thousand Sunny with his own crew, Law is still absent. Luffy even pokes his head into the too-small, abandoned kitchen to check. A twinge of pain pinches at his heart to find no Law hiding in there to sip coffee in peace while avoiding the crowd. 

His stomach grumbles at him, so he figures it’s probably better to eat first, search later. Luffy wanders back out to the tables temporarily set up on deck. He plops himself down across from Chopper and Bepo to stretch across the table, piling food onto his plate with one hand, stuffing some into his mouth with the other. 

“Where’s Torao?” he asks to nobody in particular. Anyone within earshot who’s got an answer will be fine.  

“Haven’t seen him,” Chopper says. 

“Me neither,” Bepo concurs. 

“Torao’s gotta be around _somewhere_ ,” Luffy grumbles loudly, soliciting an apology from Bepo.  

“Hey Mugiwara, Uni says he saw Captain go ashore this morning,” Penguin calls from farther down at the table. 

“Really early,” Uni himself confirms. 

Luffy almost spits out a mouthful of ham. Law left when?! He’s gone to hunt beetles himself! Luffy’s sure of it. Law is tricky, cunning. Luffy just never thought he would plot against him, especially not like this. This should be against the rules. 

“We gotta leave _now_!” Luffy declares to his scattered crew, slamming his hands down on the table, startling Bepo and Chopper out of the conversation they’d resumed. 

“Luffy it’s still earl-“ Usopp attempts. 

 “Torao is already hunting beetles!” he insists, cutting him off. He desperately shovels food into his mouth with one hand, stuffing more into his pockets with the other. “Let’s go!” 

Chopper and Usopp are already jumping up to grab bug nets and equipment. Franky’s pulling out a invention that resembles a small capsule with a long tube to vacuum up the bugs. 

Just as Luffy jumps up from the table, a shock of pain stabs him through the chest. He folds over the table, bracing himself. He wills his lungs to cooperate and keep working like they’re supposed to. 

“Luffy-“ Robin starts. 

“I’m okay,” he insists. He pushes himself back from the table, breathing shallow with lungs still gripped tight. His entire chest feels like it’s suddenly too small. 

He’s just got to think of other stuff to get his mind off of it, like Law told him before. He’s gotta think of good stuff like the warmth of the sun or Law’s hand on his back to soothe him. Law—he’s practically betrayed him. Pain pierces his heart at the thought. How could he have cheated like this?

Luffy braces himself against the table, pressing in forehead to the surface. He’s got to think of good things, to feel better fast. 

“Umm, well, Captain didn’t take any of us along,” Ikkaku speaks tentatively, placing a hand on his shoulder, “so I don’t think he’ll have much luck catching beetles.”

“That’s right,” Shachi chimes in, “he’s really shit at catching beetles by himself.”

“Don’t worry. Besides beetles don’t even wake up before ten,” Usopp states confidently. 

“Captain probably just left early to buy a net and make a plan,” Clione adds. “You know him.”

Everyone’s making pretty good points. Even Law’s own crew doesn’t believe he’s gotten much of a head start. Their reassurances are kind of making him feel a little better. The pain is starting to fade to just a dull aching somewhere inside. 

“It might be a good idea to wait anyway,” Nami suggests. 

“I’m really okay,” Luffy says again. 

 “I mean it’s going to rain soon, so Torao is probably just going to come back anyway,” she tries to explain. 

But that’s not what Luffy wants to hear. He didn’t even get to try catching any beetles himself. 

“It’s okay. Let’s go,” he declares, takes a few cautious breaths before stretching out to rangle Usopp, Chopper and Zoro to pull them along as he swings himself out onto the dock. “Come on, Franky,” he calls over his shoulder.  

 

 

The rain catches them before they’ve even made it half way to the wooded hill. It’s chilling in the spring air but not even a typhoon could’ve stopped Luffy coming. 

“I’m gonna go look for Torao,” Luffy tells the others, dashing out ahead of them. Mud splashes up his legs as he hurries along the path. He sprints up the hill into the woods. He’s on his way to the summit when  something catches his eye off to the side, through the brush. 

It’s bit of yellow—bold against the dreary hues of the overcast forest. It’s just the shade Law would wear. His form moves through the forest, like a spectre flickering as it passes among the trees. Luffy knew it! He’s been out here all along on a head start. 

“Torao!” Luffy calls out to him, waving to flag him down, “over here!” 

Law doesn’t seem to have heard him, still continuing on his way. The brush between them is thick. It doesn’t even look like there was ever a path connecting to where Law is walking anyway, but bigger obstacles haven’t stopped him before. 

“Torao, hey!” Luffy shouts, slingshotting himself over the foliage to make his way to where Law is. He lands in the overgrowth, wet leaves slapping against his legs and feet. “You find any beetles?”

Law jumps, startled. His hand flies to his pocket to conceal something. Law looks so surprised to see him that Luffy chuckles to himself. Maybe he’s shocked that he’s actually following their planned schedule of events. 

“What’s that in your pocket?” Luffy asks, reaching to take out Law’s hand and see for himself. 

“It’s-” Law swats his hand away. “-just a plant,” he excuses.

“Did you find any beetles?” Luffy asks again. 

“No,” Law answers. His mouth opens and closes as though he wants to say something more before settling on a muted admission. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he adds softly, “I couldn’t do it.”

“You _should_ be sorry you started hunting beetles without me. That’s like cheating,” Luffy accuses. 

“There’s-” Law worries his bottom lip, as if unsure what to say. His eyes wax glossy, and Luffy can’t be sure what the odd expression on his face really means. “There’s no beetles here anyway.” 

“It’s ok if you don’t know how to find them. I _told you_ I’d help you,” he reminds him. 

“There aren’t any,” Law reiterates, more resolute this time. “I forfeit anyway. You win.” 

“No,” Luffy protests, “You can’t quit now. I just got here!” Law is being completely unfair. Luffy knows the weather isn’t great but they shouldn’t just give up so easily. 

“There aren’t any goddamn beetles, Luffy. You need to get out of here _now_.” 

And it feels so strange—strange in a bad way, hearing his name just spat out like that. It feels like Law’s cursing at him in that tone, that way of speaking. His heart constricts like it’s caught in a vice. Pain bleeds out from the center of his chest, snatching at his lungs, sucking away his oxygen and the world goes hazy.

Luffy crumples over, feels Law’s hands there to catch him by the shoulders, but his touch isn’t soothing this time. The scent of Law that once comforted him is suffocating. Prickling need to cough crawls up his throat but can’t find his breath. Damnit, he’s supposed to be getting better, but it feels like it’s getting worse, so much worse. 

There are deep voices around him, but he can’t tell who’s speaking. The world feels like it’s underwater. He can’t think—can’t focus. 

He feels himself falling backward, away from Law—no being picked up. He’s pulled against a warm body, held in strong arms. And this time it grounds him somehow. 

“You alright?” It’s Zoro. He’s taking him somewhere—inside the Sunny. Did Law get them back here?  

Luffy tries to open his mouth, protest. He’s got to go- 

Like a knife, the pain slices through his heart again. His lungs seize and burn. His entire chest goes tight, like the weight of the sea is crushing him and it’s hard to even will himself gasp for breath. 

 

… … … … …

 

“I need a cure for the Lover’s Curse!” The words leap from Law’s throat as he thrusts open the weathered door of the tiny, herbal remedy shop. 

Aromatic scents—woody, spiced aromas fill the air around him. This shop doesn’t feel like a place of medicine as much as it does an indoor garden, but he’s getting desperate.  

He’s stopped at three pharmacies and two clinics along the way with no success. This is his last resort. This is the place he’s been referred to by the only cooperative medical professional he could find in town. 

The shop’s owner doesn’t move from behind the counter when he bursts in the shop. She just looks up at him from the book in front of her. 

“I need a cure for the Lover’s Curse,” he says again, coming to stand directly in front of her.  

“Oh not this shit again,” she sighs, taking off her glasses, kneading the bridge of her nose with her other hand. 

“Just help me out or tell me where else I can go,” he tries. 

“Look, there’s probably not a lot _anyone_ can do,” she tells him. “Why don’t you just try to enjoy your last days.”

“No, you _need_ to help me,” Law insists, desperation slipping into his words. “Please, my-my-” he’s still not really sure what to refer to Luffy as, but this is not the time to get hung up on semantics. 

“Your lover?” she assumes, and this time Law doesn’t refute the claim. 

“-he’s dying. Tell me how to save him,” he demands. He’s ready to give anything. He’ll even give his own heart if he really has to, just not to the deceptive woman in the graveyard. He doesn’t really know the shop owner either but so far she hasn’t lied to or been openly hostile toward him.  
  
“He’s lucky you love him so much,” the lady notes quietly, putting her glasses back on. She leans over the counter to look him in the eye as she speaks. “I’ll see what I can do to help, but I hope you’re ready to make a sacrifice to save him.” The hand she lays on his is cold—deathly cold.  

“What do you need? My heart?” he assumes. 

“Gods, no!” She recoils, her face contorted in disgust a moment before motioning for him to come behind the counter. 

“Then what?” he asks, following as she leads him into a small room at the back of the shop.  

“I’ll need you to sacrifice your memories, feelings and intentions,” she says. “If all goes right, you might be able to save him. If your sacrifice isn’t enough, you may both end up living as dead men.” 

He’s not exactly aware what she’s talking about, but at this point he’ll try anything. If he doesn’t do something Luffy’s not going to make it. That much is certain. He’s also certain that he’s not above dying a hundred times over if it will give Luffy a chance at life.

 


	8. Something Old, Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m sure he knows I love him,” Law tries to explain. “We even-“
> 
> “Shared a kiss of true love or something? That kind of silly magic only exists in fairy tales,” she dismisses, pulling two more jars from her shelf. “You can’t just slap a loving kiss on him. You need to imbue his cure with your memories, feelings and intentions. If you mess it up, you both become living corpses.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to anyone that I made wait too long for this chapter. 
> 
> I hope this chapter answers a few questions rather than creating too many new ones. (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)

Law follows the owner of the herbal remedy shop into her back room. There are plants crowding the windowsills, clippings of them hung up to dry, and shelves overflowing from what appear to be jars of dried herbs. With little else but a small wood stove and work table, it’s exactly the kind of thing he’d expected to find here. This place doesn’t exactly ease his worries. It’s all so far from the stringent medical science he’s used to. He doesn’t appreciate how uneasy it makes him feel. 

The shop owner does seems completely sure of her practice. She’s all but ignoring him as she puts a kettle on over the wood stove, turning to rifle through her shelves. 

That reminds him of the sample flower he’s got tucked into his pocket—one of the Lover’s Curse he’d hidden away when he’d run into Luffy. It’s a little mangled from being tucked into his pocket, but it still seems like a valid specimen. 

“Miss-“ he starts. 

“Lydia,” she supplies. “Call me Lydia.”

“I brought this in case it’s needed,” he offers, holding the lackluster flower out to her. He may be a medical professional but he feels a little out of his depth this time. 

“Oh shit,” she gasps, snatching it away from him, throwing it into an empty jar and promptly plugging it. “Crushing the Lover’s Curse like this can release the spores. People don’t even visit their loved ones at the cemetery for fear of it,” she informs him. 

Alright, so Law is completely out of his depth and so far misguided. 

“You haven’t had any nausea or vomiting, have you?” She asks, standing on tiptoes to feel his forehead with her cold hand.

“No,” he says, tells himself it would be counterproductive to criticize her means of taking his temperature. 

She seems satisfied with his answer, and turns back to her jar search. 

Law, at a loss for what to do, can’t help but follow her like a lost child. He watches as she proceeds to rifle through her supplies, pulling over a short step ladder for her when she reaches for it. 

“I was under the impression that I would need to sacrifice my heart,” Law tells her, “or at the least use it as a tool of exchange.” 

“This matter of the heart doesn’t have anything to do with your  _ actual  _ heart,” she says, considers it. “But you have the ability to remove it without dying, don’t you? Imagine the power I could wield by using yours to control you.” 

He’s not surprised that she knows who he is. He’s one of the most powerful men on the seas, though he’s not quite egotistical enough to presume his infamy has reached the entire world. 

“I’d be foolish not to know who’s visiting the island,” she says as though reading his mind, “especially with the kind of people you pirates can be.” The last part she says with a bit of a laugh. She takes a jar from the shelf and tosses it to him. 

Law isn’t expecting her to throw it. He barely catches it on fingertips. The leaves inside are faded green, spade shaped with jagged edges. The label on the jar is black with chalky white letters. 

“Savory Death,” Law reads. 

“Fight death with death,” Lydia quips, sounding like the ridiculous kind of thing Luffy might say. 

“You said earlier that he and I might end up as living dead,” Law recalls, “Want to tell me exactly what that means?”

“Only the person who is loved by the one who is cursed can return their love and cure them,” she says, taking another jar from the shelf to toss to him.

“I’m sure he knows I love him,” he tries to explain. “We even-“

“Shared a kiss of true love or something? That kind of silly magic only exists in fairy tales,” Lydia dismisses, pulling two more jars from her shelf. “You can’t just slap a loving kiss on him. You need to imbue his cure with your memories, feelings and intentions. If you mess it up, you both become living corpses.”

“So, you’re saying the penalty for messing up the cure is essentially eternal life?” Law doesn’t think most people would find that fate unappealing. 

“In a sense, yes,” she confirms, bringing the other two jars over, setting them on the work table and going to a cabinet. “but it’ll be a cursed eternal life in a dead body. You’ll be left dulled senses, for starters. And your lover will end up consumed by a constant craving for the Lover’s Curse,” she explains, pulling a weathered bowl and a packet of chalk from the cabinet. 

“I can see how that might be disadvantageous,” Law comments. The last thing he wants is for Luffy’s senses to be stripped from him. He doesn’t even want to imagine how Luffy would react to being told he won’t have much of a sense of taste. Law can’t let that happen. 

“So, yeah, if you fuck up, he might just end up living in our cemetery like a depraved old zombie bitch,” Lydia adds slamming the bowl and packet of chalk down on the table with a huff. 

Law can just imagine who she might be referring to. 

She closes her eyes for a beat, sighing deep, and pops open the lids of the jars. She seems to have grounded her emotions when she says, “Let’s make that cure now. Go get the kettle. The hot water should be just about ready.” 

He does just as he’s told, waiting a beat until the kettle starts to whistle before he brings it over. 

Lydia teaches him how he’s meant to chalk out a symbol on the table, and the placement of the bowl on it. She coaches him on exactly how much of each ingredient to add to the bowl, but never touches them herself. Both the atmosphere and the way she speaks to him have him feeling all the more out of his depth. He feels suddenly inept at medicine, though the way she’s treating him doesn’t have him feeling patronized. He’s more worried he’s already messing it up. 

“Do you know what kind of love he was feeling for you when he ate the flowers?” she asks once he’s added the boiled water. 

“What  _ kind _ of love?” The only  _ kinds  _ of love he could imagine were familial love and, well, the kind you could fall into. He wasn’t really aware that there could be different kinds of love between supposed lovers. 

“Never mind it,” Lydia dismisses. But because she’s mentioned it in the first place, it really must be of some importance. Instead of explaining she hands him a long spoon. “Just focus on your _memories_ , _feelings_ _and_ _intentions_ _for him_ ,” she instructs. 

As nice as that sounds, he’s still not entirely sure what to think of as he stirs the ingredients. He’s never had to define love before. Admiration, gratitude, attachment, exasperation—he feels all of these things for Luffy, but do any of them count toward love? 

The scent of the ingredients seeping in the bowl fills his senses, filter in through his memories, searching for a recollection. This peculiar scent reminds him of something, sometime. There’s a lonely quality to it—a longing he’s been denying to himself so often it manifests as irritation instead. Make him think of the day which sparked the events that lead he and Luffy to come to this island. 

… … … … …

Law smooths his fingers along the curve of Luffy’s face on newsprint. He wonders how there can be so much innocence on the face of such a harbinger of chaos. The headline ambiguously reads ‘Bounty Too Small for Infamous Pirate’ He doesn’t want to put off reading the article since he’s only been getting the paper once a week. That’s hardly enough considering how often Luffy is in it. Unfortunately for him the noise outside his door is signaling interruption at any second. 

Law can hear them coming long before he can see them. Shachi and Penguin’s arguing is building to such an unreasonable level of sound that Law is tempted to remove their vocal chords just to get some peace. 

He’s just gotten to sit down to read his weekly newspaper. Luffy’s on the front page again and he’d like to know what’s happened to land him there. It would have been nice to hear the news from Luffy himself. It irks Law a bit to not be kept up to date, but he’s not that mad. He knows whatever it is wasn’t planned or meant to undermine him. Rather, he prefers hearing Luffy’s tales first hand because of the animated way Luffy tells stories. He enjoys the genuine expressiveness on the den-den mushi’s face, the excitement in Luffy’s voice—Luffy giving him his attention and just being… Luffy. 

Unfortunately it looks like he’ll have to find out what exploits his ally has gotten into later. He sighs, setting aside the paper just in time for Penguin and a half-nude Shachi to burst into his room. This had better be good. 

“Tell Penguin to ration the water more,” Shachi demands, grasping a towel around his waist. “I couldn’t even finish my shower.”

“It’s Shachi’s own fault he couldn’t finish his shower.  _ He’s  _ using too much fresh water from the distillation tank.” Penguin cries, gesturing to his comrade with a soup ladle clenched in his grasp. “With the amount he expects  _ me  _ to ration, I can’t even make a decent dinner!” 

“You just need to quit using crazy amounts of water to make soup every night! Everyone’s sick of it and it uses too much water!” Shachi shouts, rounding on Penguin. 

“Soup is good for you! And it keeps you hydrated!” Penguin snaps, slapping Shachi in the side with his soup ladle. 

“It’s so salty you may as well be using sea water! Leave the cooking to Bepo,” Shachi retorts, snatching the ladle to slap Penguin back with it. 

Law runs his hands over his face. Is this really his life right now, policing grown adults—adults that are even older than him. 

“Captain! We’ve got a problem!” Ikkaku’s voice cuts in behind them. 

This is great. One more thing to add to his list of stress.

She shoves her way in, past the idiot duo, shouting over them. “The CO2 scrubbers are malfunctioning. We have to surface for oxygen until we get the parts to fix them.”

“We just dove,” Law grumbles, knowing there’s nothing he can do about the situation. 

“Well, now we’ve got to be on our way back up, Captain,” she informs him. 

“Alright,” Law gives in. “You can all leave then. I’d like to get back to my paper.”

“But Captain,” Penguin whines from where Shachi’s got him in a headlock. 

“Captain, tell Peng his soup sucks,” Shachi reiterates, holding Penguin’s soup ladle away from him as he flails about trying to grab it. 

“His soup does kinda suck,” Ikkaku comments. 

“I’ve set a course for our meet up with the Straw hat crew,” Bepo adds, appearing from the back of the group gathered around Law’s doorway. 

“What did you say?” Law snaps, rising to his feet. They’re not due to meet up for another two weeks. Law does not appreciate action being taken without his say-so, especially when it’s a change of plans. 

The crew goes silent, moving out of Bepo’s way as he pushes into the room with a den-den mushi. 

“Sorry, Captain, but-“ Bepo’s words trail off, but his expression is one Law can’t fight against as he meekly holds the snail out to him. 

Law initiates a ‘room’. In a split second all of them are expelled, door closed, locked and the snail is comfortably resting in his palm. 

“Torao!” it shouts at him, instantaneously, not even giving him a second to gather his thoughts. Luffy’s expression is mirrored on the snail’s face, all wide-eyed and excited. 

“Mugiwara-ya, I thought we agreed to meet in two weeks’ time,” Law speaks into the receiver. “Can’t you for once stick to a plan?” He adds without thinking. He’s not exactly mad, just annoyed and overwhelmed at so many unexpected things. This just happens to be the latest of those things. 

He takes a deep breath, lets out a sigh, trying not to let his recent annoyances mar his conversation with Luffy. It  _ has _ been a while since they last spoke. “So what’s your reason for calling a meeting this time?” Law asks. 

“I don’t wanna wait two weeks. I wanna-” Luffy’s words are cut off by a pained cry. The snail’s face contorts into a pained grimace, and Luffy’s voice gives way to panting through gritted teeth. What exactly is going on there?

“You’re breathing into the phone pretty heavily.” Law notes. “Is everything alright?” It doesn’t sound alright—not at all. 

“Yeah, I’m- ah!” 

A loud  _ clunk _ jarrs Law’s ears from the other side as the receiver smashes into something hard. The agonized expressions being relayed through the den-den mushi are worrisome at best.

“Speak to me,” Law tells him, trying to keep calm.

“It- hurts,” Luffy‘s strained voice manages.

“Get yourself to Tony-ya. I’ll be there in two days,” Law instructs, slamming down his receiver. Law is probably about three days away, but he’ll make it in two. He has to. He doesn’t know what’s going on, just that he feels such a sudden urgency to get to Luffy’s side. He has to make sure Luffy’s alright—confirm it himself. 

Law thrusts himself out the door. Calling up his ‘room’, he uses his power to propel himself upward, teleport his way up to the deck. He’s got to make sure each and every person on the crew is doing their part to get the Polar Tang to its destination as quickly as possible. 

This goes beyond wishing well-being on his ally. Law  will push it all to the limit if that’s what it takes. He  _ needs _ Luffy to be okay. He  _ needs  _ Luffy to be happy and healthy and full of life. He  _ needs Luffy _ —just needs him. Law is no stranger to loss, but he really isn’t sure what he’d do if Luffy was no longer in his life. They haven’t even made that many good memories together, or at least not as many as Law would like. He’s going to do better—to commit to showing Luffy how much he means to him. 

… … … … …

“That’s when I realized I really love him,” Law speaks barely above a whisper. 

“What was that?” Lydia asks. It’s her voice that snaps him back to the present. 

“I- I forget,” he confesses. He’d repeat himself but he really can’t remember what it was he’d just said. He can’t remember what he’d just been thinking about a second ago either. He feels, dazed, his memory a fog, his emotions out of reach. It feels like he’s forgetting something important—something precious to him, but he just can’t grasp it. He brings his fingers up the scratch a tickling sensation at the side of his face, realizes it’s a tear rolling down his cheek. 

“The cure is finished,” Lydia speaks softly, setting a small bottle on the table. “Pour it in here and hurry back to his side.”

That’s right. His ally is deathly sick. He’s here to get a cure for that illness. It’s his duty as a doctor and allied captain to help. 


End file.
